Graduate Diploma Public Health Nursing PHN

• Conduct a comprehensive health needs assessment, identify a plan to implement and evaluate care interventions. ​
• Develop, implement, and evaluate health promotion and wellbeing, health education strategies and interventions. 
• Apply leadership skills to practise as an autonomous Public Health Nurse based on research and evidence-based knowledge. 
• Work collaboratively with individuals and their carers, families, groups and communities to support their rights and empower them to make decisions concerning their care. 
• Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary and integrated care teams to maximise contribution to health and wellbeing improvement. 
• Identify health inequalities and work with communities, populations and others to address issues of health, social inequalities and social exclusion. 
• Work in partnership with the voluntary sector, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and external agencies in health and wellbeing enhancing activities within the community. 
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate maternal and child healthcare in a family context in line with legislation and national policy. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of the impact and application of policy development and strategic planning in health services.

Timetable

This is a full time programme which takes place over two academic trimesters (September-June). The programme timetable is provided at the induction day in September. Students need to be available from 09.00-17.00pm for academic days in UCD and should refer to their contract of employment for clinical practice placements in their sponsoring Community Healthcare Organisation. Students are encouraged to read their contract of employment. Students who are not Registered Midwives will complete the Maternal and Infant Health Theory and Practice Module. Clinical placement will be allocated in a partner maternity hospital and students may be rostered to work 7 day/24 hour rota while on maternity placement. 

Programme Strengths

Highly focused on enhancing clinical practice
The programme is focused on developing practical, usable skills in the multiple contexts of community nursing. Students will develop specific critical skills in the area of community nursing which will lead to the ability to engage with multiple client groups effectively and efficiently.

Innovative modules
Each of the modules in the programme is designed for experienced nurses and in combination provide a comprehensive learning experience and opportunities for acquiring new skills.  The emphasis throughout the programme is on the practical application of knowledge and skills in the specific context of community.

Networking 
The student body is drawn from a wide variety of clinical specialisms and organisations, enabling the sharing of learning and experience between you and your class members, as well as from the academic staff.

The public health nursing programme is a partnership with colleagues in the clinical areas (Local Health Authority). Together, students will engage in intra and inter-disciplinary collaboration which will facilitate a solid foundation for clinical practice as a public health nurse.

Following successful completion of the programme, students may register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) as RPHN and practice as public health nurses. You may wish to extend your learning and complete a Master’s degree.

The fees for your programme can be found at the links below. Search using your major code (the four-digit code beginning with 'X' which can be found in the key information box on this page).

• EU fees information
• Non-EU fees information

Please note that UCD fees are subject to change annually. The fees shown include the student centre levy which must be paid by all students. 

Funding:

If the fees for your programme are being paid by a third party (full or partial), please ensure your funding organisation/sponsor/hospital contacts student.payments@ucd.ie. Please note this is not a student facing email address.

Student Queries:

If you have any queries about your fees, please contact the Student Desk:

www.ucd.ie/askus

https://www.ucd.ie/students/studentdesk/

Application Fee:

Please note that all applicants are required to pay the €60 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

More information about fees is available on the UCD website at the link below:

• General information about UCD Fees

Be registered in the General Nursing Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered AND have a minimum of 2 years post registration general nursing experience.

OR

Be registered in the General Nursing Division and another Division of the Register, including Registered Midwife (RM), Registered Children’s Nurse (RCN), Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability (RNID) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered; AND  have a minimum of 12 months post registration general nursing experience as an RGN, and 12 months post registration experience as an RM or RCN or RNID or RPN.

AND

Meet the academic criteria set by the relevant Higher Education Institute (HEI); Applicants whose first language or primary language of expression is not English must provide evidence that their English language ability meets the required standard for admission. The minimum required score is 7.0 on the IELTS assessment test.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL may be granted in respect of individual modules if applicants can demonstrate that the modules' learning outcomes have been achieved through prior credentialled or experiential learning. In some cases, where an applicant does not meet the prerequisites for entry to a programme, an RPL application may be considered. Further information can be found in respect of this here.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: No

This programme is designed for nurses who are interested in expanding their knowledge base in the domain of public health nursing. An applicant must be registered on the General Division of the Nursing Register as maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).